Business Breakfast Ideas

I cater a regular monthly business breakfast for about 25 guests and am running out of fun ideas that are still workable given the conditions.

Since they have no oven, we usually bring a strata already baked and heat up the side dishes in toaster ovens that we bring with us. It's a working breakfast with a speaker, so fancy and complicated is not the goal (plus the budget is small).

So, I am looking for something I can bake off and serve upon arrival. I don't want to do a strata every time, but am limited by the cost and equipment constraints. Any ideas on other main dishes that would work? Thanks!

nice touch answering in spanish
could you be so kind as to post a translation for the rest of us non spanish speakers - sounds like you have a bevy of great ideas

I was going to suggest a savoury bread pudding
also american style breakfast
with hash brown casserole
scrambled eggs
bagels and cream cheese
danish
croissants
etc

you could do a croissant bread pudding
or croissants stuffed with ham and cheese (warm or room temp) could keep warm on top of a domestic type plug in griddle (we use them to make quesadillas at at station for an event)

you could do breakfast burrittos - they are very popular throughout california and in the film industry
scrambled eggs, potato, salsa
possibly cheese, chorizo, mushrooms, spinach what ever - think omelet

can predo them wrap in paper then tin foil and keep warm in chafers.
can even make the night before and reheat in oven

oh for scrambled eggs try adding cream cheese to keep moist and from getting rubbery when sitting in pan

another thought that just popped into my mind is doing something like a cornish pasty but with an egg and some ham in the center. forgot what its called but it's an old school british breakfast item#

Chilaquiles is a Mexican breakfast dish made of partially fried tortillas covered with red or green sauce (usually) with cheese (usually) and scrambled eggs (usually) -- it all combines into something rather special. It is, perhaps the most typically Mexican brunch dish of all.

Quiche Lorraine

Tortilla Espana is a Spanish style omelette/fritata made with a potato filling. It's actually more a tapas thing than a breakfast thing. I was mostly translating on behalf of shroomgirl, but it is a good idea.

Eggs Benedict doesn't need much translation. I suggested poaching the eggs ahead and reheating them on-site in hot water; and transporting the hollandaise in a thermos bottle.

Garden variety chile rellenos. Interesting how the "s" moves words from the Spanish plural to the English plural, isn't it?

Brunch chile rellenos, stuffed with cheese, egg and bacon.

Quesadillas with cheese and a (Mexican) chorizo crumble. You have no idea how good Mexican tortillas tortillas and cheese are until you're there.

A standard Mexican style bread pudding served with maple syrup and called American French Toast Pudding.

Already translated.

A sort of eggy donut. You may (or may not) know them as bunuelos de yema.

A scramble with this and that, but always containing eggs and leftover tortillas. After that, it's up to you.

Puff pastry turnovers with sausage, mushrooms and apple.

The Spanish refers to transporting and reheating poached eggs.

Grits is grits. "Gabacho" is the actual word used by Mexicans to refer to what you would call "gringo," only it's marginally profane.

A cazuela is a casserole. In this case, tortillas, eggs, cheese and green sauce. See what I wrote about migas. There are an infinite number of possibilities.

Breakfast burritos with the usual suspects.

Fried plantains served with beans, creme fraiche and small, chewy, fresh corn tortillas. It's a very traditional meal in El Salvador and the southern parts of Mexico.

Business Breakfasts

You mentioned they don't have an oven, but if they have electrical outlets, you could do things in crockpots and electric skillets, or portable electric burners. I stayed a week in a Residence Inn once and they had hot breakfasts every morning in the lobby and happy hour tapas using the above methods on a regular counter top. Just a thought.:)

Muchisimas gracias for all your great suggestions! I just came back from doing the breakfast. I did a baked strata with chorizo and cheese, scalloped potatoes and black beans, pan dulce and fruit platter.

They wanted a buffet this time, which will make it easier in the future to place things in chafers to keep warm.

They want me to continue doing the monthly breakfasts, and I am excited to try many of your ideas. Thanks!

One more idea

I have done several breakfast gigs (just starting out, so I don't have a ton of experience at this yet), but I have had great success with a breakfast sandwich that I do on a croissant. I have actually picked up some new clients with this because they loved it so much.

Prepare a seasoned butter with curry powder, onion powder, dijon mustard and scallions. Spread the butter on the cut croissants and then put some sliced ham (experimented with several types of ham and regular old sliced deli ham works the best), scrambled egg and grated gouda cheese on it. Throw them in the oven at 350 until the cheese starts to melt. They hold pretty well in a chaffer for an hour or so.

Oh my!! That sounds delicious! I'm going to make that one for dinner right now! Shoot- no croissants....

ONe question... How "curry" to you make the butter- just enough for flavor or so people realize it's curry they're eating? Explain how you do them for a breakfast that you have to transport. I'm curious as to whether they get soggy in their own steam. Are they wrapped separately? Sorry, that was more than one question. Thanks!

I generally make the butter just slightly curry flavored. For a pound of butter I'll put in about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of curry powder, along with 1 tablespoon of onion powder, 1 1/2 tablespoons of dijon mustard and a 1/4 cup of sliced scallion. I'll then taste it and adjust as needed. You really want a balance of flavors in the butter, slight curry/onion flavor with the dijon adding some body and very slight heat to it. I really try not to go overboard with the curry or it will over power everything.

As far as transporting them, I arrange them in a single layer in a hotel pan and bake uncovered until the cheese and butter melt. I then take them out, cover tightly with heavy plastic wrap and two layers of foil. They go into the cambro and will stay hot for an hour to two hours. They don't get very soggy unless they sit in a chaffer for a good long while. Just make sure you always have them in a single layer or they will mash down and get pretty nasty.

You could just leave out the curry entirely and maybe put a little more dijon into the butter, not too much or it will overwhelm the taste of everything else. Balance is the real key here. You could also kick up the onion in it just a bit.

Try it with the curry in it first, though. The curry flavor is not terribly strong, so it won't blow your customers away. It's subtle and one of those tastes that you notice, but can't really identify what it is. Curry is just so great with eggs, ham or potatoes. I love the stuff! Fried potatoes with curry powder and Tabasco is about the best thing ever for breakfast!

Ok, you have me sold! I'm a sucker for Tabasco and adding that in might just make all the difference. I will give it a whirl with the Curry prior to simply opting out:) - also, the Dijon idea sounds intriguing as well!